- quote - Nihon Ryōiki 日本霊異記
is an early Heian period setsuwa collection. Written by Kyōkai between 787 and 824, it is Japan's oldest collection of Buddhist 説話 Setsuwa sermons .
It is three volumes in length.- - - - - Title
Commonly abbreviated as Nihon Ryōiki, which means "Ghostly Strange Records from Japan," the full title isNihonkoku Genpō Zen'aku Ryōiki (日本国現報善悪霊異記).
It may also be read as Nihon Reiiki 日本霊記 .
The book has been translated into English under the title Miraculous Stories from the Japanese Buddhist Tradition, but this does not represent a literal translation of the Japanese title.- - - - - Contents
The work is composed of three parts contained within three volumes. Each volume begins with a preface, and the final volume contains an epilogue. There are a total of 116 tales all dealing with Buddhist elements. There are also a total of nine poems.- - - More in the WIKIPEDIA !

少子部蜾蠃 Chiisakobe no Sugaru once invited a kaminari 雷 thunderbolt on request
of 雄略天皇 Emperor Yuryaku.
The emperor wanted to see a Kaminari close up, so Chiisakobe whent up a hill in Asuka, grabed a thunderbolt and showed it to the Emperor. It looked like a huge flickering serpent and the Emperor ordered Sugaru to bring it back immediately.
After Sugaru's death a stone memorial was erected in the place where it had happened. The inscription read
取雷栖軽之墓 Grave of Sugaru who grabed a thunderbolt.
The Kaminari deity got angry and tried to hit the stone, but was caught instead.

At the time of 敏達天皇 Emperor Bidatsu a farmer once went to his fields to drain the water off. But suddenly he found himself in a huge storm and rain. So he rested under a tree, but a thunderbolt hit. The Thunderbolt had the shape of a child and said:
"If you save me, I will give you a child."
So the farmer let the Thunderbolt go back to heaven and his wife became pregnant.

In 但馬国 Harima no Kuni (Northern part of Hyogo)
A young girl was once carried away by 鷲 an eagle. Many years later she was found in 丹波国加佐郡 the Kasa district of Tanba and could finally return home to her parents.

tooru no daijin no rei 融の大臣の霊 / Tôru daijin / The Minister Toru
Most of the stories of ghosts are about people becoming ghosts and appearing as a skull.
One of the oldest records is the Nihon Ryooiki 日本霊異記 Nihon Ryoiki.
宇多院 Emperor Uda (867 - 931) made an official visit to 河原院 Kawara no In (the official residence of Minamoto no Tooru 源融 Toru (822 - 895).
The late owner of this Kawara residence, Toru, appeared clad in 衣冠 formal robes as a ghost to greet the visitor.
Kawara no Sadaijin 河原左大臣 - Poet and statesman

- quote - Gagoze ガゴゼ
Gagoze is a horrible-looking ghost who haunts the ancient temple Gango-ji in Nara prefecture. His story dates back to the Asuka period (550-710 CE). He is first depicted in illustration in Toriyama Sekien’s Gazu Hyakki Yakko, and he is said to take the appearance of a demon in monk’s garb.
His story says that during the time of Emperor Bidatsu, in old Owari province (now Nagoya in Aichi prefecture), lightning struck the ground near an farmer’s house. From the lightning emerged a thunder god in the form of a young boy, and the farmer ran outside with a stick to kill the boy. The boy pleaded with the farmer to spare his life, and promised that he would return the deed by giving the farmer and his family a young boy as strong as the thunder god. The farmer agreed, and allowed the thunder god to return to the sky.
Sure enough, the farmer’s wife soon bore a child, and the child was as strong as a thunder god! However, the child was born with a snake wrapped around his head, with the head and tail going down the back like a ponytail. When the boy turned 10, he had grown so strong and proud that he challenged a member of the imperial family to a contest of strength and won. ..... - source : Matthew Meyer -